How do I add my Instagram and YouTube links to my store footer?

Most of your customers will meet you on Instagram first, so it helps if your store sends them back there. The icons in your store footer, and beside the sign-off on your About page, are set from one card: Admin, then Settings, then the Storefront tab, then Social Links.

The four channels

The card lists exactly four channels: Instagram, X, YouTube and Email. There is no field for any other platform, so if you also post on a different network, you will need to put that link somewhere else, such as in a product description or your About copy.

Each channel is a small box with a tick box at the top and, for three of them, a text field below.

Typing a handle or pasting a link

For Instagram, X and YouTube you can do either of these:

• Type just your handle, for example the name without any web address in front. A leading at sign is removed for you.
• Paste the full link to your profile or channel.

The admin turns whichever you give it into a complete web address before saving. A bare Instagram handle becomes an instagram.com address, an X handle becomes an x.com address, and a YouTube handle becomes a youtube.com address that begins with the at sign. If you paste a link that already starts with http or https, it is kept as it is.

If what you typed cannot be turned into a valid address, saving stops and the message names the channel, for example that the YouTube link is not a valid address. Fix that one and save again.

For a YouTube channel that does not use an at-sign handle, paste the full link from your browser to be safe.

Email has no field

The Email channel only has the tick box. Underneath it, the card prints the address it will open: the Support Email from your Store details tab. There is deliberately one place for that address, so two boxes cannot disagree. To change it, edit it on the Store details tab.

When an icon actually appears

An icon appears on your storefront only when two conditions are met: the channel is switched on and it has somewhere to point. A channel that is ticked but has an empty field is left out, so you will not end up with an icon that goes nowhere.

New stores start with all four channels ticked. So the easiest path is often just to fill in the handles you have and save.

Step by step

• Open Settings, then Storefront.
• Scroll to Social Links.
• Type your Instagram handle or paste the full link.
• Do the same for YouTube if you have a channel.
• Leave X blank or untick it if you do not use it.
• Keep Email ticked if you want a mail icon.
• Press Save Settings.

Then open your store in another tab, scroll to the footer and click each icon to make sure it lands where you expect. Do this on your phone as well, since that is what most shoppers use.

Why it matters

A footer link is a small trust signal. A shopper who is not sure about a new brand will often check its Instagram before paying, to see that there are real posts and real people behind it. The idea is explored further in building trust without a big marketing budget, and if you post reels, putting your reels on your store shows how to bring them onto the site itself.

If you want to pause one channel for a while without losing what you typed, see the post on hiding a social icon temporarily.